The Hyundai i30 is about to be spiced up with a 'sportback' variant.

Rather than producing another vanilla three-door coupe to spice up the i30 lineup, Hyundai has decided to make the third-generation of its compact model more appealing by giving it the sleek fastback treatment. Spy images show the new body style, set to join the hatchback and tourer estate, is still a work in progress, but we know for sure it will be ready to go on sale by early 2018 as per a slideshow published by the company on Twitter a couple of months ago:

There’s not much to say at this point about the car’s design since the prototype was heavily dipped in camouflage, with an extra layer of disguise on some of the body panels to better mask the styling. Since it will be labelled as a fastback, expect the rear end to feature a more raked roofline to lend the car a sexier profile. It’s going to be a five-door model, so accessing the trunk will be done via a practical rear hatch.

The only noticeable difference at the front compared to the regular hatchback and the wagon versions is the position of the LED daytime running lights / turn signals, which are more angled on the fastback version.

Spy shots of the interior cabin are not available in this set, but most likely the i30 Fastback won't stray away too far from the other two body styles pictured below:

We are not expecting any surprises underneath the bonnet, so the i30 Fastback will likely get the same turbocharged three-cylinder 1.0-litre with 120 horsepower. Pay more and Hyundai will reward you with a larger four-cylinder 1.4-litre developing 140 hp, while on the diesel side there’s going to be a 1.6-litre CRDi with 95, 110, and 136 hp. Depending on engine, a six-speed manual gearbox and a seven-speed, dual-clutch transmission will be offered.

Since the Hyundai i30 Fastback is pinned for an early 2018 launch, we might see it as early as September this year at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Watch this space.